What to do when you want to say 'I didn't do it'

Watching the most recent season of “Orange Is the New Black,” I was particularly taken by Red’s dilemma.

The feisty Russian finally clawed her way back to running the kitchen (she’d been exiled for a variety of offenses) only to have her authority immediately removed, with her cooking, a major source of pride for her, replaced by bags of inedible mush. Fearing her reputation was being trashed, she set out to let all her fellow prisoners know that she had nothing to do with the food. Her hands were tied and that no one should mistake the brown sludge as something that she would prepare.

Her oft-repeated phrase: “I didn’t do it.”

Lots of PR practitioners have worked on a brand or campaign only to be removed for some reason (a new team, a different job, rejiggering of resources, the client decided to halt PR as a cost-cutting measure), only to see mistake after mistake pile up. It's enough to make you want to shout out, “I didn’t do it!" It’s difficult to remain on the sidelines when you see your work destroyed, and all you want to do is clear yourself from any association. This can be a common occurrence.

When your name and personal brand are associated with work that’s not up to your standard, it’s not just difficult to sit back and watch all that you’ve built go south. It’s also potentially harmful to your future opportunities. A PR professional's reputation and success are how he or she lands new clients and positions. It's necessary to put your best foot forward. Not only is it difficult to see hard work destroyed, there’s also the ego and pride—the feeling of “Jeez, I hope people don’t think I’m part of this.”

It’s a shame to see hard work go to waste. A campaign that’s been a success has been brought down by poor work, and now you’ve been robbed of something you can point to with pride. In the worst case—it’s gone so far south that a campaign you once touted as a triumph might now look like a PR disaster—a case study in what not to do, and that could harm your reputation.

Here are a few ways you can get past the pitfalls:

Double check that the other firm’s work really is subpar. When our egos get involved, sometimes we don’t see clearly. We may prefer to see a campaign that goes on without us as a failure. The simple truth may be that they got on just fine without you. As we all know, PR is an extremely transitional world, and the world may move ahead without us.

Never criticize. Don’t mock what’s been done outside of your participation. It can make you look small, petty and, worst of all, unprofessional. What you may intend to be an accurate assessment of your professional skills can come off as sour grapes.

Set up a timeline. When referencing the campaign, be very clear when you finished your involvement. Once again, don’t criticize. In most cases people aware of the situation will understand, and it will clarify and demonstrate that without you the campaign wasn’t as successful.

Learn. Always take something away from these situations by keeping an open mind and clear focus. You’ll come away with a life lesson in what worked and what didn’t and this knowledge will aid in future engagements and work product.

Don't dwell. Sure it’s a cliché, but it’s really hard to move forward if you keep looking back.

By keeping these things in mind, you will keep your relationships and resume on positive terms, smoothing the path to future projects and demonstrating your strengths.